Culture

Another day, another Fifty Shades of Grey-related story: This time, someone posted an Airbnb listing for a condo rental in the Escala, fictional home to none other than Christian Grey, the novel's steamy hero. Curbed Seattle reports the listing offered up "the chance to live in a 1-BR condo in 'the sexiest building in the city,' albeit for $257/night with a three-night minimum stay." The notice of course received national attention, which is

Perhaps because of all the Super Bowl hype, we missed an equally important event that happened last weekend: CatVidFest at the Kirkland Arts Center, hosted and produced by none other than Seattle's favorite cat-video creator Will Braden. The feline fest screened oodles of cat videos that Braden hand-picked and appeared in a reel shown at the 2014 Internet Cat Festival. (FYI, The 2015 Internet Cat Festival, which happens in the Minneapolis-St.

What's with the Yellow Bike? I know we're all severely lacking in Vitamin D right now, but be in search of #VitaminP and you may reap some rewards! Pronto Cycle Share, Seattle's recently launched bike share program, is putting some sunshine back on our streets with its yellow "Unicorn" bike that, starting today, will be stashed somewhere around the city.

Must HearDinner, Drinks and Maria Semple at UW ClubFriday (2/6, 7 p.m.) Author Maria Semple will discuss her writing career and read from her best-selling novel Where'd You Go Bernadette, an intriguing comedy that pokes fun at the dynamics of Seattle family life. Tickets include a three-course dinner and a paperback copy of Semple's book.

Rain, rain go away. No really, go away. Today's rain is just the initial blast of wet weather that we'll be seeing over the next five days. Get ready for even more storms. According to King 5 meteorologist Rich Marriott, "the rain will be heavy Thursday morning," and then after a midday reprieve, it will "pick up again in the late afternoon and evening."

Edmonds native Casey Askew made our city proud as a star on the 11th season of FOX’s reality dance competition So You Think You Can Dance. The 19-year-old triumphed over thousands of fierce competitors during auditions for the show and once on stage, his impressive talent landed him among its Top 20 finalists. (He was eliminated right before the Top 4 performances.)

Before Greek restaurateurs introduced Pacific Northwesterners to Ouzo or their fresh Mediterranean fare, they were immigrants in a new world, working long hours and adapting to unfamiliar ways in order to survive.

The late Edith Macefield's tiny Ballard home that somewhat inspired the Disney animated film Up (remember Macefield's national-news-making refusal of a $1 million offer forced developers build the Ballard Blocks around her), might go up for foreclosure auction next month. The Seattle PI reports that the current owner of the house owes more than $185,000 on the property.

There are days when I wish our offices had a vending machine just so I could indulge in a single-serving packet of Cheez-Its now and again. Perhaps I should aim higher than a machine that spits out delicious salty snacks: A pot vending machine has popped up in Seattle, Kiro 7 News reports.

Happy Bluest-of-Blue Fridays! As the Seahawks prepare to take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX this Sunday, 12s are preparing all day long throughout Western Washington. The largest rally will be at 11 a.m. at the Metropolitan Market and Bartell Drugs headquarters on Delridge Way in West Seattle, where fans will hoist up the largest 12th Man flag--30 by 50 feet--at 12:12 p.m.

Must CheerSeahawks Take on the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIXSunday (2/1, 3:30 p.m.) It’s only a few days until the big game, in which the Seahawks will try for their second Super Bowl win. Make your party plans now at one of these Hawk spots.

Our 'Hawks are back in the Super Bowl and yes that's grand, but you know the real reason you're not missing a beat this Sunday: The over-the-top, ad-budget-busting commercials! Some brands are releasing their spots early to create extra hype, while some have had to pull theirs amid controversy (ahem, GoDaddy).

NFL stars Rob Gronkowski and Marshawn Lynch will appear on Conan O'Brien tonight, facing off on O'Brien's "Clueless Gamer" segment (that's my kind of segment!). Catch a preview of the video game action right here (and be amazed as Gronkowski attempts to hawk the drug Lipitor), then watch the full episode tonight on TBS.